Police, stakeholders agree to modernize the Nigeria Police Force

Emeka Ibemere

It was at the training workshop held in Abuja from 21 to 23 July 2015, under the framework of the European Union’s funded project, which was a Support to the Justice Sector in Nigeria and in collaboration with the Embassy of Switzerland that it was agreed that the Nigerian Police Force needs surgical operation to meet the global policing practices of the new age.

The Assistant Commissioners of Police, heads of the legal section in the 12 zonal commands and the nine police training institutions in Nigeria participated in the training that lasted for three days.

At the opening session of the training, the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, reiterated his commitment to modernizing the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).

Speaking at the opening session of a three-day training workshop on the use of force and firearms, Mr. Arase said, “We must do our best to modernize NPF tactical operational strategies to commensurate levels with international best practices.” The Inspector General of Police said the subject of the workshop was the cornerstone of the policy thrust of the NPF. 

He encouraged officers not to see the workshop as a mere academic exercise, but as a practical hands-on approach to improving and modernizing the Police Force.

Mr. Arase thanked the European Union, the Embassy of Switzerland and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) for providing financial and technical support for the training workshop.

“I wish to acknowledge the support of the European Union, UNODC and the Swiss Embassy for their unflinching support to the actualization of this workshop, which has potential to save countless human lives,” he said.

 

In his address to participants in the workshop, the Ambassador of Switzerland to Nigeria, Niger and Chad, Mr. Hans-Rudolf Hodel, said the use of force and firearms has been a recurrent issue in the Embassy’s engagement with different stakeholders in Nigeria.

“The issue of force and firearms is one of the important issues that the Nigeria Police has to deal with particularly in relation to human rights abuses which occur as a result of excessive force and misuse of weapons,” he said. He added that if force must be used it must at all times be based on the rule of law, be proportionate and result in the least possible damage.

The workshop was facilitated by distinguished national and international experts in police training and it covered issues of human rights standards for law enforcement officers and their use of force and firearms, democratic policing, principles of proportionality, legality, authority, necessity and responsibility in the use of force, the issuance and handling of firearms, tactical use of force and firearms, and the reporting and investigating of the discharge of firearms.

The last day was dedicated to discussion on a draft proposal for a revised Force Order 237 on the use of Firearms as well as a draft Manual of Guidance on the Use of Force and Firearms by Nigeria Police Officers.

It would be recalled that UNODC provides technical assistance for justice sector reforms globally. Considering the importance of the police as the first point of contact between the State, victims and perpetrators of crime, UNODC has supported the elaboration of a global handbook on the use of force and firearms that would be published in the next months and made available to the public on UNODC website. Support to the Justice Sector in Nigeria is a 42-month project funded by the European Union with €25 million and implemented by UNODC to improve the effectiveness, accessibility, accountability, transparency, and fairness of the justice system in Nigeria. It supports key initiatives of the Federal Ministry of Justice to drive a coordinated, unified and integrated reform across the justice sector. 

Before the latest training, the Force had been trained on how to have respect for human rights where stakeholders tasked the Nigerian police to learn how to respect human rights as the only panacea that could resuscitate the image of the police which they claimed had engender trust for the Nigerian police.

Dignitaries at the one-day national sensitization workshop on human rights for Commissioners of Police, which preceded a three-day training of trainers workshop on human rights for Assistant Commissioners of Police,  noted that respect for human rights can help the police to gain the trust of the society.

During the one-day seminar, the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase, represented by the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Mr. Mamman Tsafe, said,  in his address at the opening ceremony of the workshops, vowed to make sure that he would ensure that their policing fall in order of the policing all over the world.

 “A human rights based approach to policing will ensure that our actions are in accordance with the fundamental principles for the development of just societies.” He thanked the European Union and the Embassy of Switzerland for providing funds for the workshop and said the sensitization and training programs would help enhance respect for human rights by police officers and the protection of members of the society.

In his speech, the Country Representative of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Mr. KoliKouame, represented by Mr. Jesse Wachanga, Project Officer at UNODC, said a number of surveys, including those conducted by UNODC, have shown the link between the enjoyment of fundamental human rights and trust in police authorities.

 “By safeguarding the fundamental rights of all citizens, the police will engender trust throughout the society and encourage the reporting of crime, thus contributing to more effective crime fighting and enhancement of justice for victims,” he said.

Dr. Hans-RudolfHoder, Ambassador of Switzerland to Nigeria, and Mr. Alan Munday, Head of Governance and Political Section at the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, who were also present at the occasion, congratulated the Nigeria Police Force for taking another step to strengthen their adherence to human rights and international standards. Mr. Munday praised the commitment by the police authorities towards achieving the goal of having “a trusted police force which is guided by the respect and protection of the rights of Nigerian citizens and is working hand in hand with communities to make Nigeria a safer place.”

On behalf of the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Tsafe presented a 408-page training manual on human rights for the police and a trainers’ guide, which were developed through consultations with a wide range of stakeholders. The manual contains 47 modules on different aspects of human rights, including gender, children’s rights, use of force and firearms, prevention of torture, etc. It will provide a roadmap for training of police officers on issues of human rights in Nigeria.

 

The sensitization workshop and the follow-up training of trainers were organized in collaboration with the Prisoners Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA) and the Embassy of Switzerland under the framework of the European Union funded project, “Support to the Justice Sector in Nigeria,” implemented by UNODC. The sensitization and training workshops was aim at contributing to actions to foster a relationship of trust between police and the society through the entrenchment of the rule of law and respect for human rights.

This is not the first time an Inspector-General of Police in Nigeria is talking about reforming the police force to meet world standard. The erstwhile IGP, Mr. Suleiman Abba, vowed to sanction officers and men of the force for unprofessional conduct, most especially during the 2015 elections.

Abba gave the warning while presenting the “Inspector-General of Police Award’’ to four junior officers for their exceptional performance, with one receiving it posthumously.

“We will make sure that officers act professionally in their conducts, and let me also assure that where misconduct cannot be corrected ordinarily, sanctions will be applied.”

Recently, the police authorities claimed that the Nigeria Police Force paid over N1 billion to Nigerians whose rights were abused by police officers in the last three years.

Arase says that the Force Order 237 on the use of force by the police has come under increasing local and international criticisms which have formed the basis of court cases against the NPF.

Arase made the remark in Abuja during the opening ceremony of a three-day training workshop organized by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, with the theme, “The challenge of policing in an emerging democracy: Entrenching human rights-based approaches to use force and firearms by Nigeria police officers.”

 “The contents of that Force Order have been construed as both controversial and the progenitor of human rights abuses by the NPF. It is also not in question that there is a virtual policy vacuum in respect of how and when firearms may be deployed and the circumstances governing the use of force by officers of the NPF,” he added.

“And in the past three years, the Police Force has virtually paid out close to over N1bn in garnishees of our account for infringement or infraction of human rights of Nigerians. This is a democratic government and we expect that our policing should take the details of democracy. I just believe that funds that were deployed on garnishee orders should be re-channeled into the welfare of police officers.”

Arase said necessary steps are being taken to ensure police officers are strictly held accountable on how they decide to deploy firearms. He similarly emphasized the importance of adequate training.

 

The IGP also said that 68 police officers are undergoing the training programmes, adding that the protection of human life remained the cardinal duty of the NPF.